Page 81 of Ashes of Honor

“It’s them,” Serenity said, her voice soft with relief. But it didn’t last long. Her expression crumpled when she remembered the ones I mentioned didn’t make it.

No one asked more questions. I didn’t push. Breaking their last thread of hope wasn’t on my to-do list. Caleb stared at me, green eyes sharp, not with malice, but with quiet curiosity. He glanced away after a few seconds.

“Millie,” Reina blurted out, pushing to her feet.

Amaia reached for her power, magic swirling in her hand. “Who?”

“Great Falls,” Moe said, her usual brevity intact.

Everyone stood as Millie and three others emerged from the distance, all armed to the teeth. She removed her tan cowboy hat, letting sun-kissed hair spill down her back in a loose braid.

“Reina,” Millie said first, locking eyes on her as they approached. Reina flushed, eyes darting toward the ground.

“General Amaia, pleasure to meet you,” Millie continued, her gaze sliding over to Amaia with calculated respect. Amaia shifted, her eyes flicking to the rest of us as Millie’s sharp gaze scanned our group. “You, I know.” She jabbed a finger at Tomoe. Then her smirk turned on me. “And you, I’m assumin’, must be the Bloodhound since you’re practically glued to your general’s ass.”

I bit back the urge to reply, keeping my stance neutral. It wasn’t worth it.

Millie’s attention shifted briefly to the others, more dismissive now. “New faces. How y’all doin’? Millie,” she offered as if they didn’t already know.

We went through introductions like it was a damned cocktail party and not a war council. Millie introduced her lieutenant and two soldiers who were clearly high-ranking, though she didn’t offer much detail. Their general was apparently holding the fort back in Great Falls. Smart.

One by one, the others trickled into our meeting point. Leaders and their entourages from Salem and The Expanse. Twelve from one. Twenty-nine from the other, not including Lola who had already cast a ‘vote’ on behalf of all sectors in St. Paul. We’d have two more if my mission proved successful. Nine refused to show up, siding with Covert. Still, we outnumbered them in allies, but it hardly mattered with the odds still stacked against us. We moved inside the dilapidated building behind us, an old dinner, as we prepared to get the discussion going.

The door creaked open, and in she strode.

Finley. Last, of course, making sure she was front and center of attention. All swagger and that infuriating air of superiority.

I glanced away before her eyes could lock on mine. No way in hell was I giving her the satisfaction of acknowledging her presence.

“Oh, how I loved getting this message,” she purred, heading straight for Amaia. Her steps were measured. She leaned in, her voice low but loud enough for me to hear. “Begging for my help, I thought you were above that, General.”

Amaia didn’t flinch. Didn’t so much as blink. Instead, she tilted her head slightly, a razor-sharp smile curling her lips. “If you think I’m above tearing you apart when this is done, keep testing me. I’m all for a little fucking around and finding out.”

Her hand pressed lightly to Finley’s shoulder, a deceptively gentle push to create distance before Amaia turned and stepped to the front of the room.

I followed, falling into step behind her as Hunter joined us. We stood at her side, casual but solid. A shadow at her command.

“Never underestimate a human’s desire to survive,” she kicked things off as she faced the room, standing tall, arms tucked behind her back. “All of us are proof of that.”

Riley

Yasmin blocked the door, tears streaming down her face. “Luna wants you to stay here. Behind the walls put in place to protect us.”

Elie and Emma sulked deeper into the study, making themselves busy with checking their weapons. They were supposed to be helping me convince Yasmin to cooperate. But Elie avoided my eye and Emma only ever mirrored Elie. The fact that Yasmin’s refusal to head down to the bunker meant the girls and Harley would have the opportunity to stay behind and defend didn’t help my case. Elie was all too eager to havethe opportunity to rig this place with explosive traps should the enemy try to make their way in.

“I don’t answer to Luna,” I said as gently as possible. Hoping the desperation to get out there and lead my troops wasn’t voiced as irritation with her. The seconds were ticking away. This place needed to stand or all else would fall.

Monterey was a settlement born from a city of ash, and like a phoenix, we wouldalwaysrise.

Yasmin’s words came out a swallowed, painful whisper, “She’s going to get you killed.”

“Then I will die knowing I was following orders, following through with my commitments.” I tapped my hands expressively against my chest. “I will die without having failed.”

“What about your commitments here?” she demanded, her hand resting against her stomach that had barely begun to form a safe space for my son to grow. “The ones at home.”

This had always been a point of contention between us. She fell for a soldier, yet my loyalty was only admirable in her eyes when it came to the people that lived inside these four very specific walls. Us and only us. Never The Compound and most certainlyneverAmaia.

I didn’t have time for this. People were counting on me to make sure their loved ones made it back home tonight. Tomorrow. This could last longer than any of our minds could fathom. We’d shown Ronan our hand and underestimated how hard he’d swing the axe—howsoon. So while Amaia worked to secure our alliances, I needed to do my part. We, as a compound, were only as strong as our loyalty extended. That’s what she’d taught me over the years and that was the soldier I would be today.

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